A gutsy fightback from Charlestown saw our lads claim the U15 division 2 county title at a dull Ballyhaunis yesterday afternoon. This ended a titanic 140 minutes of football against a gallant Carras side who never gave in at any stage throughout the replay.
Although the replay may not have reached the heady heights in terms of drama as last week’s drawn game, the match was just as tight with only a kick of the ball in the difference as the game neared its conclusion. Once again Charlestown were very slow to start and Carras began brightly, kicking several fine points with the aid of a slight breeze. The South Mayo men were in control throughout the first quarter and capitalised on a misplaced pass to score their only goal of the game after just 6 minutes.
Many would have feared for the ‘town at this stage as Carras were dominating in all sectors of the pitch and tagged on a number of fine scores to lead 1.06 – 0.01 after 20 minutes, Charlestown’s sole score coming from the boot of Ruairi Cullen. Indeed, it could have got much worse for the men in green and white when Carras were denied a second major, thanks to a fine save from Charlestown goalkeeper Declan Forkan. After 25 minutes the Sarsfields trailed by 8 points, ironically the exact same scoreline as had been the case in the drawn game.
A step up was needed and our lads duly delivered. Paul Towey took the ball 30 metres from goal and went at the Carras rearguard before he was eventually fouled inside the square. Up stepped Jack Mahon to coolly slot the ball low the corner giving the keeper no chance. This appeared to steady the ship and Towey and Patrick Goldrick tagged on fine points to ensure that the Sarsfields went into the dressing room still in contention, trailing 1.06 – 1.03.
The second half saw our lads dig deep and play with intent and purpose, resulting in several well taken scores. Once more, Carras got the better of the early stages, extending their lead to five thanks to a couple of well taken points. However, Charlestown were not going to give in and began to start a revival that had to be seen to be believed. The defence shored up after a leaky start, which was epitomised by the fact that we only conceded 2 points in the last 25 minutes of the game.
The full back line of Brendan McCormack, Darragh Casey and Luke O’Donohue came to the fore and ensured that the Carras forwards were going to work damn hard for every chance they got. Towey, Cullen and Mahon all kicked points to drag Charlestown back into the game and buoyed by a great support, the Charlestown men could see the deficit narrowing. With 20 minutes remaining, the game saw its turning point. A fantastic through ball from Towey found its way to Ben Crean who calmly dispatched the ball to the left corner to level the game – 1.08 apiece. This is when Charlestown began to open up their legs and run at the opposition.
Well taken points from the ‘town put the men in green and white three points to the good with 15 minutes remaining. Ben Conway and Martin McCormack began to win more than their fair share around the middle and built the platform for our forwards to get scores. David Doherty and Danny Murphy were also driving forward during this dominant spell where the Sarsfields attacked in waves.
A fine flowing moving from the back involving Aaron Doherty, Goldrick, Niall Drudy and Cullen made its way to Towey who rocketed the ball into the top corner to give Charlestown a four point lead and perhaps a bit of breathing space. Carras took an opportunity to narrow the gap to just a goal as the game entered the final five minutes to show that this nail-biter wasn’t finished yet. As in keeping with both games, there was another twist to come and Carras were awarded a penalty with just three minutes to go, to level the game. The shot was well placed but came back off the upright and was cleared away to safety.
As the clocked ticked towards injury time, Charlestown (like in the drawn game), began to make mistakes and cough up possession. However, our lads were not going to let the game slip from their grasp this time and threw bodies on the line to ensure Carras could not find the equaliser they needed.
The final whistle sounded and the relief was plain to be seen, as the lads were deservedly rewarded for the fine work and effort they have put in throughout the year. Captain Aaron Doherty accepted the cup on behalf of the team to cap off a fine year for our underage footballers with many of these players part of the U14 panel that captured the Division 2 County League title and the East Mayo “A” Championship, bridging a 20 year gap in the process.
Many of the elder players were also part of the Charlestown U16 team that were victorious in their East Mayo “A” Championship, a fantastic achievement for the club. This was fully deserved for the dedication of the players who started their training over 9 months ago in similar weather conditions!
Team: Declan Forkan, Brendan McCormack, Darragh Casey, Luke O’Donohue, David Doherty, Daniel Murphy, Aaron Doherty, Patrick Goldrick, Ben Conway, Ruairi Cullen, Paul Towey, Niall Drudy, Ben Crean, Jack Mahon, Martin McCormack, Jack Brennan, Micheal Durcan, Dylan Marren, Marty Beirne, Ciaran Honeyman, Cormac Bones.
Match Report by Gareth O’Donnell
